Seamus
@ Dupont Circle
Q:If your dog was a celebrity, who would it be?
A:"He's Seamus. He's a celebrity within himself."
A WOK TURNED into a table. Rosebuds frozen inside ice cubes. Walls decked with place mat "art." Such high-impact, low-cost design ideas fill decor guru Jonathan Fong's popular books and TV appearances. The energetic style guru headlines at the Remodeling & Home Decor Show Sept. 26-28 at Dulles Expo Center.
» EXPRESS: Describe your decorating style.
» FONG: One person nailed it when they said I was like Andy Warhol meets Martha Stewart. I go for high-impact and a wow factor. All of my rooms have to have a conversation piece in them. Like, I did a room in a show house recently where I hung a halo of flowers above the bed.
» EXPRESS: Your books all have the word "wow" in their titles. What does that mean in your decor projects?
» FONG: For me, "wow" means that it's really dramatic, simple to do and affordable.
» EXPRESS: What's the secret to cheap-chic decor?
» FONG: Doing it yourself. If you do things on your own, it's satisfying and simpler than hiring someone.
» EXPRESS: How do you get inspiration for your sometimes wacky projects?
» FONG: I'll go to atypical places, like the hardware store or the flea market. Then I walk the aisles looking at things that weren't meant for home decor and repurpose them.
» EXPRESS: What sort of projects result?
» FONG:;I covered a wall in aluminum lashing that I got at the hardware store for, like, $15 for a 25-foot roll. And I went to Bed Bath & Beyond and bought all these great place mats, then realized I didn't have enough dinner parties to warrant them. So, I drilled holes in them and hung them up on the wall.
» EXPRESS: You also throw stylish parties. What's your secret?
» FONG: For me, parties are an extension of decorating. Your dining room table is a great canvas to decorate with. But I'm not a great cook, so my parties aren't really about food. I serve food from Costco or Trader Joe's and then have a memorable table.
Michelle Phillips opens the door to her visitors with a look of severe gravity. She clears her throat. "Thank you for coming tonight, but before entering this establishment, I must first warn you that you will pass through a "danger zone."
Guests fret about their lack of bullet-proof clothing.
"In this zone, it is quite possible that you may look to the left and see the two chefs at work. I must ask that you not become tempted. Please focus your attention to the wall on the right until you reach the living room, at which point you may then enjoy the event."
It's clear this dinner party is no casual potluck. Phillips is hosting Food Fight, one of a series of "Top Chef"-ish parties developed this past spring by a group of five food TV aficionados.
JUST BECAUSE THE ECONOMY is suffering doesn't mean that your party guests have to. With 50 bucks — and a bit of old-school home economizing — you can serve 10 pals an ample spread of nibbles.
How to stretch a buck without resorting to Manwich canapes or ramen rolls? Check the fridge or pantry and then work backward. Frozen skinless, boneless chicken thighs morph into satays. A can of beans provides the base for a spicy, not pricey dip. Chef Alison Swope of Restaurant K (1700 K St. NW) calls this running down inventory. "Making things out of what's on hand keeps costs down," she says.
Stockpile ingredients, especially costly proteins, when they're on sale. Like a high-low outfit (Louboutin shoes, Target dress), cost-conscious parties should mix inexpensive basics (bread, beans) with costly garnishes for an illusion of extravagance. Veggie dip even seems ritzy topped with chopped shrimp.
A fancy form can also impress guests more than fancy ingredients. At the new Fyve (1250 S. Hayes St., Arlington), chef Amy Brandwein offers risotto balls as an amuse bouche, turning humble rice into something posh. At home, frying up a batch costs less than ordering pizza. "It doesn't get cheaper than that," she says.
1-2-3 SPINACH-ARTICHOKE SPREAD
Makes four cups
Total cost: $8.68
Note: Three ingredients, three minutes to make. Pine nuts and a drizzle of olive oil would make a nice garnish.
» 2 10-oz. packages frozen, chopped spinach: $2
» 12-oz. jar artichoke spread: $3.99
» 2 cups (16 ounces) nonfat small curd cottage cheese: $2.69
Thaw spinach in a bowl of hot water. Drain in a colander and squeeze out all of the water. Place the spinach, artichoke spread and cottage cheese in a food processor, and pulse until well combined. Serve with sliced French bread or crackers.
Continue Reading "Entertaining on the Cheap: Big Taste, Little Budget" »
WALK INTO JON WYE'S UNFINISHED Eastern Market garage and you'll find creative chaos. A stair-stepper rests next to a bench press. A corner worktable — littered with scissors, saws, axes — supports a wooden shelf piled with more tools and a couple mannequin heads. There are scraps of plywood and an old box fan on the already supply-littered floor. Dozens of colorful leather belts are draped on the right side of a bench-press barbell, near the 28-year-old's sewing machine.
"Fred won't come in here," says Wye of his dog, a gentle retriever mix. "He's scared of all this." Perhaps rightly so. Aside from the fact that the belt designer's workshop has no AC or heat — Wye admits he just started feeling his toes again in March — there are some heavy-duty machines in here that, when turned on, sound like they're about to go into orbit.
Welcome to the world of independent crafting … well, sort of.
"Craft" doesn't seem to really describe what an increasing number of Washingtonians are cranking out creatively, often for profit. Forget the Styrofoam balls, googly eyes and felt Mom would pick up at Michaels. Today, tastes have moved past generic do-it-yourself kits toward eclectic creations and personalized ventures. The days of rubber-stamping and wreath-making are so over. Instead, independent businesses — from funky beltmakers like Wye to spirited fabric artists — are gaining ground and often making money. According to the Craft and Hobby Association, crafters spend $31 billion per year in the States alone.
"People better appreciate handmade items today more than 10 or 15 years ago when it was more of a materialistic world," says spokeswoman Terri Ouellette. "It didn't use to be that way. You'd have to negotiate for five bucks for the thing you worked three days on!"
She says the green movement and accessibility of information on the Internet have played significant roles in the current craft boom. In an age of mass-produced everything, people crave the authentic, the handmade, the imperfect. And there are a lot of people making stuff these days — 57 percent of American households do. So, in order to make a living (or some extra cash) weaving, forging or hammering stuff, your product really needs to stand out. "People just aren't buying crocheted hand towels anymore," says Ouelette. "And it's probably a good thing."
So, how do some of Washington's creators manage?
For Wye, it began with a girl, back in September of 2003.
"I'm not a bar-hopper kind of guy," he explains. After meeting a woman he liked at church, he suggested "'Hey, come over to my house. I have this great idea for belt buckles.'"
Continue Reading "Getting Ahead: The New Faces of Handmade" »
MANY PEOPLE cruise past dilapidated old Victorians or ramshackle Colonials and think, "Eeek — a haunted house!" To others, a pile of crumbling bricks and sagging porch columns sparks Bob Vila-esque dreams, notions like, "I could buy that cheaply and fix it up."
That's exactly what David Giffels and his wife, Gina, did 12 years ago, snagging a tumbling-down, about-to-be-condemned 1913 Tudor in Akron, Ohio, for just $65,000. There were mammoth holes in the roof, a raccoon in the rafters and no working plumbing. But Giffels persevered, trekking into the wreckage, and — and after much hammering, plastering, painting and sweat — revived a piece of Rust Belt history, in the process learning a lot about himself and his loved ones. He chronicles his quest in "All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-Down House" ($26, William Morrow). We chatted with him about the experience.
WITH THE CURRENT DRIVE to be green and spend less money, thrift-store shopping is now eco-chic. But what if those Gap skinnies or Seven bootcuts don't fit, are out of date, or are just revolting? Don't die of barfness — reconstruct.
Did Levi Strauss have skirts, appliques and raw hems in mind when he invented jeans? Nah, but redoing denim makes sense. Denim "has a distinct American history," says San Francisco designer Scatha G. Allison, author of "Jean Therapy" ($20, Quarry). "It's designed to be worn until it falls apart," meaning blues that've outlived their hipness are ripe for rehab.
Choose jeans that fit you, either from your stash or a thrift store. Make sure the denim is in good shape, with no rips or holes. A sewing machine, scissors and heavy-duty needle and thread are musts, say Allison and fellow jean-revival queen Karen Kormondy of Capitol Hill store Ipso Crafto (733 Eighth St. SE; 202-546-4329). Kormondy also just wrote a DIY book, "Denim Mania" ($20, St. Martin's).
Continue Reading "Make Old Clothes Fab: Jean Modification" »
IF SCULPTURE IS 360-DEGREE ART, then shoe boutiques are galleries this season. Spring's heels are sculptural and super-tall, with inspirations ranging from folk art to mod minimalism. Marc Jacobs' surrealist-inspired reverse heel, a feat of engineering, launched the trend. But if comfort is a priority, try a simpler cutout wedge — or, as in a museum, admire from afar.
1. Fashion meets folk art with these totem pole-evoking Miu Miu platform leather sandals. ($550, Net-a-porter.com)
2. On Francesca Giobbi's serpentine heels, multicolored metallic piping accents a reptilian peep-toe; the stacked green heel looks like the rattle on a scary snake. ($268, Wild Women Wear Red, 1512 U St. NW; 202-387-5700)
3. It's easy to picture yourself in these shoes — no, really! The mirrored wedge was inspired by the lines of an F-117 fighter plane. (United Nude, $150, Wild Women Wear Red)
4. A feat of feet engineering, these gravity-defying Giuseppe Zanotti structures float on a 2 1/2-inch platform. ($750, Piperlime.com)
5. Both a heel and a wedge, these patent numbers don't teeter as dangerously as their kin. (Guess Footwear, $74, Piperlime.com)
Written by Express contributor Maura Judkis
Photos by Marge Ely/Express
THE WRANGLING WITH THE broker is over, the contracts are signed and the bank loan has finally gone through. Hurrah! You have your own rad pad. Now how to make it purdy? Lure some good buddies over for a painting party with the promise of food and camaraderie — and perhaps a promise of future household favors. But how does one throw a successful bash without making too much of a splash?
First off, Logan Hardware co-owner Gina Schaefer recommends assigning one guest per wall. "You don't want them running into each other," she says. "Also, people tend to get bored fairly quickly." Even if pals brag about their no-mess painting prowess, take the time to cover furniture with drop cloths, remove outlet covers and tape around windowsills and baseboards before they arrive. It's also worth springing for one roller and tray per person, says Schaefer — that way, there's less of a chance of stray paint drops hitting the floor.
Spring is ideal, as windows and doors can be left open for cross-ventilation, getting rid of fumes and speeding up drying. Start early enough in the day (noonish, perhaps) to let each coat dry before sunlight runs scarce. Since that can take one to two hours, take a lunch break and order pizza. "By the time everyone is done goofing off and cleaning up, it would be OK to start again." Save blasting Bon Jovi tunes and brew for later, though — if people aren't seasoned painters, loud music "might throw off their concentration." And while a cooler of Coors might be tempting, Schaefer learned the hard way when a friend had a few too many: "Our white blinds ended up with blue polka dots."
Photo by iStockphoto
Julia Beizer and her fiance, Tom, guide newbies through basic home-improvement tasks in our pages a few times per month.
THE UPSIDE OF EVERY wine-and-cheese party? The chance to swill delicious fermented grape juice with friends. The downside? Losing your glass. This particular drunkard's affliction hobbles me more often than it does Tom, but there's an easy-enough solution to keep the his-and-hers stems separate: wine-glass charms.
These vino-vessel ID bracelets retail for $12 to $24 at online shops, but the homemade ones here set us back only a few bucks and about 20 minutes. Plus, picking your own beads means avoiding schmaltzy themes or tacky color schemes.
WITH ALL THE SUPER BOWL HOUSE PARTIES coming up this weekend, there's no doubt that lots of people will be subjected to the horrors of bad chicken wings in all their forms. Delivery methods only make matters worse, since sealed steamy containers turn soggy to squishy, and heat not meant for blue cheese dressing yields a warm puddle of unappetizing goo. To put it simply: Even the best wings can be ruined if they aren't fresh. And what could be fresher than frying them at home?
Making wings is deceptively simple, so it's surprising that so many restaurants' attempts can turn out so wrong. Overcooked dry specimens end up resembling chicken-flavored gristle nuggets, while fat-laden undercooked versions treat unsuspecting patrons to a disagreeably soggy experience.
And then there's the blue cheese dressing. Although awe-inspiring domestics like Maytag and Crater Lake Blue line store shelves, some eateries have the nerve to dispense limp and watery incarnations, tainted with the tang of soybean oil and xanthan gum. You can do better.
Most grocery stores cater to the Buffalo wing enthusiast by providing fresh pre-cut wings packaged and ready for the fryer. All that's left are a few additional ingredients and the patience to find the perfect cooking times for your own home setup. Just follow the tips below, and the recipe that follows and you'll be on your way to perfectly crispy textbook wings that will have your friends hoping you host the next happy hour.
Continue Reading "Avoid Mediocre Wings by Making Them at Home" »
Addison Road